Device for tattooing animals.



W. BROUGH- DEVICE-FOR TATTOOING ANIMALS. nrmornon r1121) 11.111. 15,1911.

Patented May 16, 1911.

a Y5 V (if j, v x 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY iunrrnn STATES rATEN'T orrion.

WILLIAM Bnouen, or wasnme'ron, nrs'rnrcr or COLUMBIA.

nnvrcn ron 'ra'r'roome ANIMALS.-

eeensei j To all wheat it my camera:

Be it known that I, WILLIAMHBBOUGH, an

employee of the Department of Agriculture of the United StatesotAmerica, residing in the city of Washington, District of Columbia,have invented anew and useful Device-for Tattooing Animals.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, chapter 143 (22Stat, 625),

and the invention herein described and claimed may be used by theGovernment of the .United States or any of its officers or employees inthe prosecution of work for the Government or by any person in, theUnited States without the payment of any r0 alty thereon.

yinvention relates to a'device for tattooing or marking animals.

The object of my invention is" to provide a device that may be easilyand conveniently operated and -one which satisfactorlly performs thefunction required for tattooing or particularly designed for use inmarking animals for identification in these fields of industry. Themechanism can be constructed so that any mark or design may be tattooedon animals. My invention is also designed for use in marking cattle,sheep,

swine and goats that are inspected under the provisions of the MeatInspection Act of June 30, 1906. It is incumbent upon Governmentinspectors performing their duties under this law to thoroughly examinesuch animals prior to their slaughter in establishments operating underFederal supervision. If any of the animals referred to disclose'or aresuspected of having sympsuspected of marked U. S. Suspect. These animalstoms of any disease, then the inspectors are required to-tag the animalso diseased, or eing diseased, with a tag are required to be set apartand slaughtered separately from" the animals which have "passedinspection. The tags attached to such animals can be easily lost orremoved, thereby preventing the inspectors from read ly discerning orrecognizing the ani- Specifleation of Letters Patent.

' tattooed on anlmals.

in employlng mentioned. 1

manent and can be readily observed by the inspector at any time.

The nature, characterlstic features and scope of the invention may bemore readily understood from the following description,

taken 'in connection with the accompanying drawings forming aparthereof, wherein- Figure 1 is a side'v ew of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a face view of my device; Fig.i3-' is a sectional view on line1- 2. Fig. 4 isa sectional view showing needles projecting; andFig. 5 isa detail sectional view, showing construction of the needles.

mals so tagged. This difiiculty'isobviated my device for the purpose heletters tattooed in the animals by the use of my invention are per iPatented May 16, 1911. Application filed. March 15, 911. Ser1a11i'o.614,703. nnnrearnn r0 IKE PUBLIC.)

' A, represents a handle having a tube, B,

extending longitudinally through itacenter.

C is a capor head employed for-closing the top of said tube. Tothehandle, A, at. its bottom end, is secured a disk or plate, D,

having a threaded edge and an opening in its centerfor the admission ofthe tube, B.

This disk, D, is used asatop orcover for 1 the reservoir.

' E, represents a reservoir having' a series of holes or perforations inits bottom.

These holes or perforations are employed for admitting the passagetherethrough of a series of needles, G, provided with open ends at thetop. The holes or perforatlons are cut or drilled in the bottomof thereservoir,

E, in such a way that when the needles, G, are inserted therein, thesaidneedles constitute the desi or mark desired to be These needles arepreferably made of steel, but any other suitable material may beemployed in their construction. The top ends of said needles, G,

are open in the center and said'needles are provided with ducts, H,which ducts connect with the openings in said needle ends.

.The purpose of the openings in the needle ends and the ducts in saidneedlesis to afford a channel for the ink or other fluid to flow throughfrom the reservoir into the punctured parts of the animal when theapparatus is in operation, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

Within the reservoir, E, is a stationary.

disk or plate, I, su ported by guide rods, J J, having threade ends.This disk-,1, is

provided with a plurality of holes which L L, have openings at signedfor making on animals.

way for the reservoir to afford openings for the ink contained in thereservoir to'flow through into the ducts of the needles, G. Fastened tothe bottom of the disk, I, is a piece of flexible rubber, K, which isused as a valve for the openings in the ends of the needles, G. Thisrubber valve, K, is perforated in places .so as not to interfere withthe flow of ink or other fluid when the device is in operation.

The bottom of the reservoir, E, is pro vided with two boxes, L L. Theseboxes, both ends. These openings in said boxes are used as apassageslide forward and backward over the guide rods, J J, when themechanism is in use. I also provide a seriesof stems, N, having theirtop ends securely embedded in the disk or plate, I, and said stems areso arranged that they represent the impression which the device is de-These stems, N, may oe made of brass, steel, or other suitable material,and are so constructed that they are approximately of the same length ofthe needles, G, and can readily pass through said ducts, H. These stems,N, are stationary and secured to the disk, I, in such a manner that theyenter said ducts when said needles slide over said stems upon returningto rest after an operation. When the apparatus is not in use said stemsrest in and clog the ducts, H, thereby preventing the entrance thereinof any foreign matter and choking up said ducts. If the device is inoperation, said needles are partially withdrawn from said stems, as willhereinafter be more fully explained.

0, represents the cylinder 0r sleeve. This sleeve is provided withopenings, P P, in its bottom, and is adjusted to the guide rods, J J, bymeans of the threaded ends of said guide rods passing through saidopenings, P P. This adjustment enables the reservoir, E,'to'slideforward and backward in said sleeve over the guide rods, J J. In orderto effectually prevent said sleeve, 0, from moving or rolling overthereservoir, E, I provide slotted openings, R R, on both sides of saidsleeve and threaded openings on both sides of the reservoir, E, and passthrough said slotted openings, R R, screws,

for engaging the threaded openings. The screws, S S, when so adjustedtravel forward and backward in the slotted openlngs, R R, in thereservoir, E. The bottom of the sleeve, 0, has the same design cuttherein which the formatlon of the needles,-G, represent. This cut oropening is designated, U, and is of suflicient width to permit theneedles, G, to

pass therethrough when the device is in operation.

' Within the reservoir,E, is placed a sprin hlS sprlng rests on thedisk, I, and 1s held in place by the disk, D.

The purpose response to the movement ofof said spring, V, is to returnthe reservoir to its normal position immediately upon removal ofpressure from the handle, A.

The reservoir, E, and the sleeve, 0, are preferably made of brass, butany other suitable metal or material such as iron, copper, steel, etc.,may be used in their construction.

In practicing my invention I cut or drill in the bottom of thereservoir, E, a series of perforations. These perforations are drilledso as to form the figure, letter or design which the device is intendedto represent. I then pass through said perforations the needles, G.These needles fit tightly in said holes and constitute the figure,letter or design. If said needles do not fit tightly in saidperforations-so as to prevent leakage they may be made tight bycementing or soldering the same to the reservoir. I then place in thereservoir, E, the disk, I, provided with a rubber attachment andsupported by guide rods, plurality of stems, N, secured thereto, whichare arranged so as to constitute the same figure, letter or design asthe needles, G. Then Iarrange boxes, L L, on the bottom of the reservoirand provide openings at both ends of said boxes and pass the guide rods,J J, theret-hrough. I then secure the stems, N, to the disk, I.Thesestems are adapted to pass through the rubber attachment, K, theneedle ends, and theducts, H. The spring, V, is then placed in thereservoir, E, above the disk, I, and the cover or top, D, secured to thehandle, A, is adjusted by engaging its threaded edge with the threads ofthe inner portion of said reservoir. The cylinder or sleeve, 0, is thenattached by passing the threaded ends of the guide rods, J J, throughthe openings, P P, in the bottom of said sleeve. To more effectuallysecure the sleeve to the reservoir, I adjust the screws, S S, which areadapted to pass through the slots, R R, and engage with threadedopenings-on side of reservoir. When the parts are so constructed andarranged, it 1s then only necessary for the operator to remove the cap,C, and pour the ink or other fluid used for tatooing purposes throughthe tube, B, into the reservoir, E, After the reservoir is filled, thecap, C, is then replaced and the mechanism is ready for operation.

In operating my device, it is onlynecessary to place the cylinder orsleeve, 0, against the animal at the place where it is desired to leavethe mark or impression, and then press the handle forward. The cylinderor sleeve, 0, being held in this position by the hand of the operator,becomes rigid, and the pressure on the handle, A, forces the reservoir,E, forward over the guide rods, J J, into thesleeve, O. The guide rods,J J being stationary, hold the inner dlsk, I, 1n place. The reservoirbein pushed forward also carries with it the J J, and having a needles,G. In this forward movement the needles are released from the stems, N.hen said needles are forced forward in the sleeve, 0, they pass throughthe'opening forming the design cut in the'bottom of said sleeve andpierce-the flesh or the animal' to be marked. As the ends of the needlesare removed fromthe flexible rubber piece, K,

which opera-teslas a valve "to the openings therein, and the ducts, H,freed of thestems, N, by this forwardm'ovement of the reservoir, the inkor fluid used fortattooing'flows' uninterruptedly {through theopeningsin the disk, I, and the rubber (piece: K, into the openin s of theneedle en s and through the ducts, ,.into the punctured parts of theanimal. Afterthe operation is completed,

the mechanism returns to its closed position automatically. This actionis accomplished by means of the' spring, V. When the'-han-. dle is underpressure, the disk, D, bears .upon

this spring and PIESSBS'Ilt against the Sta-s tionary inner disk, I,thus causing the said spring to contract. Upon removal of the pressure,the spring V, being released, au-

tomatically throws the handleand reservoir backward to their position of1 rest. The backward movement of the reservoir, E, car.-

ries the needles, G,full length over the stems,

N, and the flexible rubber piece, K, again rests on the ends of theneedles and prevents the fluid from flowing into the openings of, saidends. The stems, N, clean out the ducts,

H, as the'stems return to rest.

The sleeve, 0, isused as a cover for the needles in order to preventinjury to persons handling the apparatus. P

Having thus described my invention, I

7 claim rubber piece attached to the bottom of said stationaryodisk andoperating as a valve to said needle ends, perforations in said rubberpiece, boxes formed in the bottom of said reservoir -provided withopenings and arranged for the admission of said guide rods therethrough,stems rigidly secured .to the said stationary disk in the form of thedesign said needles represent, a spring within said reservoir resting onsaid stationary disk, a sleeve having an opening formed in its bottomthe shape of the design said needles constitute, openings in. the bottomof said sleeve for the rece tion of the threaded ends of said guide res, threaded caps for engagin said threaded ends and adjusting said seeve reservoir ina fixed operative position for use in tattooing,animals, substantially as specified.

'2. In a device for tattooing animals, comprising-a handle, a tubecentrally located in said handle and extending lengthwise there-- in, acap for closing said tube, a disk secured to the bottefi f of saidhandle having an openingein its "center for the reception of said tn arleservoir' for holding'tattooing fluid passedithrough said'tube, saidreservoir havin its inner top portion threaded,

said disk avi'n'g a'threaded edge *for engaging the threaded part ofsaid reservoir, said reservoir having a series of perforations cut inits=bottom in the form of a design, needles having ducts and providedwith ends havin o enings for entering said perforations an xedlyrepresenting said design, a stationar disk Within said reservoir havinga flexi l'e rubber attachment at ,its bottom operating as a valve forsaid needle ends, a series of openings in said stationary disk and aplurality of perforations in said rubber attachment, guide rods havingthreaded ends secured to and sup- I I porting said stationaryjdisk,boxes having openings formed in the bottom of said reser-. voir, stemssecured'to said stationary disk and arranged in the form of the designsaid needles I constitute, said stems extending through the ductsof saidneedles, a spring resting on the stationary disk within said reservoir,a sleeve having, an opening formed in its bottom corresponding to thedesign represented by said needles, openings of the threaded'ends ofsaid guide rods, threaded nuts for engaging said threaded ends andrigidly adjustlng said sleeve and reservoir, said reservoir slidablyarranged on said guide rods and adapted to respond to pressure by movingforward in said sleeve and forcing said needles forward clear of. saidstems through the design opening in the bottom of said sleeve, therebyforcing the needle ends from said rubber attachment and permitting anuninterrupted flow of tattooing fluid from said reservoir through theopenings in said stationary disk and rubber attachment into and. throughsaid ducts, and automatically returning to a closed position upon thewithdrawal of pressure, substantiallyas specified.

3. In a tattooing device, comprising a reservoir for holding tattooingfluid, ahandle adjustably secured thereto, said reservoir havin a seriesof drilled holes in its bottom-in t e form of a design, needles havingducts and provided with ends having openings for entering said holes,and fixedly 'in the bottom of said sleeve for the reception thereon,threaded openings in the sides-of said reservoir, a sleeve havingslotted openings in the sides thereof and an opening formed in itsbottom in the shape 'of the design said needles represent, screwspassing through said slotted openings and en gaging sald threadedopenings, stems secured to said stationary disk and arranged to entersaid ducts, guide rods supporting said stationary disk and adapted topass through open boxes formed in the bottom of said reservoir, saidguide rods having threaded ends, openings in the bottom of said sleevefor the reception of said ends,

threaded nuts for engaging said threaded ends and securing the sleeve tosaid reser- '.voir, said reservoir adapted to respond to pressure bysliding forward over the guide rods into said sleeve, thereby carryingsaid needles forward free from saidstems, and permitting anuninterrupted flow of tattooing fluid into said ducts, and saidreservoir being adapted to return automatically to a closed positionupon the withdrawal of pressure, substantially as specified.

4;. In a tattooing device, comprising a reservoir for holding tattooingfluid, a handle adjustably secured thereto, said reservoir having aseries of drilled holes in its bottom in the form of a design, needleshaving ducts and provided with ends having openings for entering saidholes and fixedly representing said design, a stationary disk withinsaid reservoir and a spring resting thereon, a sleeve having an openingformed in its bottom in the shape of the design said needles represent,stems secured to said stationary disk and arranged to enter said ducts,guide rods supporting said stationary disk and adapted to pass throughopen vboxes formed in the bottom of said reservoir, said guide rodshaving threaded ends, openings in the bottom of said sleeve for thereception of said ends, threaded nuts for engaging said threaded endsand securing the sleeve to the reservoir, said spring adapted tocontract in response to pressure on said handle, said reservoirresponding to such pressure by traveling forward over said guide rodsand carrying said needles forward beyond. said stems, said springforcing said reservoir backward to a closed position upon release ofpressure, said needles returning with the backward movement of saidreservoir and covering said stems, thus causing the stems to clean saidducts, which said device is adapted for tattooing animals, substantiallyas specified.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in the presence of twosubscribed witnesses.

WILLIAM BROUGH. Witnesses WM. H. SMITH, JR., MARCUS W. KLING.

